Story Highlights

Bids for a proposed multi-agency training facility for St. Landry Parish fire, police and first responders came in well over expectations, but a scaled-down version has been approved.

The St. Landry Parish Council has given Parish President Bill Fontenot permission to sign a scaled down contract with Trek Inc.

Trek was the low bidder on the project at $1.8 million but only $1.3 million is available for the facility through the Hurricane Gustav/Ike Disaster Relief Program.

Following those storms in 2008, the parish was awarded roughly $12 million in federal aid to help it prepare for future storms.

That money has been used primarily to improve drainage throughout the parish and harden a number of buildings, including the parish courthouse.

But part of it was also set aside for a number of special projects, including a $619,000 state-of-the-art ladder truck for the Opelousas Fire Department fleet.

The largest of those special projects is a proposed training facility to be located near the parish airport where all the parish’s law enforcement officers and firefighters could receive advanced training. Until now, much of this training was only available in Baton Rouge or at one of police training academies in other parishes.

Fontenot said parish engineers have been able to shave the project down to match the available funds.

“We are still going to have a good facility. Just some of the items will be added on later as money becomes available,” Fontenot said. “We will also probably be able to do some of that work ourselves.”

“It has not been reduced dramatically. We will still have everything we need for a full training facility for our fire and police officers,” said Jessie Bellard with parish government, himself a former Opelousas Fire Department Captain.

Now that the project has been downsized to meet the available budget, Bellard said work on the project should soon begin, with the facility ready for use by early next year.

Included will be a four-story training tower where firefighters can train on rescue operations and police and sheriff’s officers can practice rappelling.

The proposed firing range has been reduced from 40 positions to 20, though Bellard said all the infrastructure will be in place for all 40 positions so it can be upgraded in the future.

There will also be a large pond where fire crews can practice drawing water and test their pumps. The pond will do double duty, allowing divers with the sheriff’s rescue team to train in underwater rescue and recovery operations.

To save money, rather than build a new training academy building, Bellard said the existing parish public works office is being converted into classroom space.

Bellard said there will also be a large open area where condemned buildings can be placed.

“SWAT teams can practice assaults on the buildings and then fire departments can burn them,” Bellard said.

In addition to training on how to fight structure fires, Bellard said these buildings can be used to train investigators to determine such items as ignition sources and point of origin of a blaze.

“Each building can be burned 10 to 15 times,” Bellard said.

Dropped from the project for now is a fire pump testing basin and access pad, a railroad spur where firefighters could practice railroad car and engine fires and a few other exercises.

Other features of the project will just go with cheaper options. For instance, two new proposed fiberglass buildings, one for the firing range control station and another for the water control center, will now be wood buildings instead.